The Supernova Herd
by Kinola
Summary: A young mare stumbles into the territory of the legendary Supernova Herd. What adventures will wait for her and her new mate, Altair? NO FLAMES. Back in action!
1. Prologue: Beginning

**Here it is, the Supernova Herd!! Yeah, I'm going to be _very_ descriptive about all the members of the Supernova Herd.**

**Disclaimer: All these characters are mine.

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_Deep in the wilderness of the Wild West, there was a sacred valley hidden by mountains and dark forests, haunted by ghosts of deceased horses who died in battle. "It is a haunted place," the mares told their offspring. "The valley is a haunting yet beautiful place, never seen before by Mankind. Not even us wild horses go into it, for it is sacred and holy. It'd be a curse if any one of us went into it."_

_Living in the valley was a giant herd of horses called the Supernova Herd, the biggest and the most colorful herd you could ever see. From the eyes of a human (but no human saw the valley or the horses that resided in it at all), they'd just appear to be nothing more than a herd of moving rainbows. But to a horse, there was more than what met the eyes. _

_It was extremely rare if a common horse went into the valley, which was known as Valle de Luna, meaning "Valley of the Moon." Mustangs never went near the valley because the forests surrounding it were, of course, haunted. But where this story begins, it will all change._

_This is the legend of the Supernova Herd. _

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It was a quiet early morning in the Valle de Luna, where our story begins. Cantering close to the valley's entrance was a stallion of twelve summers.

The stallion was a bay, but his mane was bright green, and running up his legs were royal blue stockings (there was a short white sock on his left foreleg). Unlike his mane, the bay stallion's tail was black, with a stripe of bright green running through it. His eyes were vermillion and his hooves were celadon. The bay stallion's name was Komarov.

"Where is she?" the bay whispered to himself, looking amongst the trees. "Where can she be?"

"Komarov, what troubles you?" said a voice behind him. Komarov turned around to see a grulla Appaloosa mare walking towards him, her orchid eyes filled with concern. She had a star upon her head, two white socks on both her hind legs, and a stocking on her right foreleg. Her back hooves were fern green while her front hooves were cardinal red. This mare's name was Starlight.

"It's Horizon, Starlight," Komarov replied, looking towards her. "She's in foal, and she told me two nights ago that she was going into the woods to give birth, but she hasn't been back since yesterday night. I sent Mystic Dream to find her, but she hasn't returned as well."

"Has Horizon given birth before?" Starlight asked in a puzzled tone.

"No, my dear; this is her first time."

Starlight stared at him before she dipped her head, muttering, "Oh dear. I _knew_ this would happen…"

"What? What's wrong now?" Komarov demanded quietly. He was afraid for Horizon.

"This sometimes happens, but I know what it means," Starlight replied, not looking at him. "If a mare has been gone for nearly two nights, then that means she has had twins."

"How do you know of this?" Komarov was curious to know.

"My dam has given birth to twins when I was only two-summers-old, and she was only gone for three nights before she returned to the herd. When a mare has twins, she must wait a night or two to regain her strength. Mystic Dream, the mare you sent to look for Horizon, must wait for her until she is ready." Starlight finally lifted her head to look at her mate and added, "Give Horizon a little more time."

Komarov didn't pay attention to his mate and lead mare. All he could do was stare at the dense forest in front of him.

* * *

Amethyst eyes slowly opened. These eyes belonged to a palomino tobiano mare of nine springs. Going through her silky white mane and tail were electric blue highlights. She had a stocking on her right foreleg and around her hocks were two Maya blue "rings," and her hooves were coral red. This mare's name was Horizon.

Rising to her feet, Horizon looked around. Not far from her left side, the mare Mystic Dream grazed quietly. Mystic Dream was a perlino of sixteen years, with a pink stripe running through her mane and a wisteria stripe going through her tail. There were pink stockings on her right foreleg as well as her left hind leg, and wisteria stockings on both her left foreleg and her right hind leg. Mystic Dream's muzzle was heliotrope and her eyes were spring green.

"Good morning, Mystic Dream," Horizon called out to her in a soft voice. "How are you today?" The perlino lifted her head and, upon seeing that Horizon was fully awake, Mystic Dream answered, "Why, good morning to you, Horizon. I'm fine. How are your foals?"

"They're fine. And today's the day they meet the whole herd." Horizon glanced down at the two foals she'd bore two mornings ago. One was a colt and the other was a filly. Both had a white blaze just like her, but they were different from each other in appearance. The colt, Altair, was a tobiano like his mother; only he was a bay like Komarov. There were electric blue stripes running through his mane and one running through his tail, but next to the blue stripe on his tail was a bright green stripe. Royal blue stockings rose up his legs, and on his hocks were electric purple "rings," similar to what his mother had. His back hooves were coral red and his front hooves were lavender, a throwback to Horizon's sire. Altair also had three socks on all but his right hind leg. His eyes, like his sire's, were vermillion.

The filly, Columba, on the other hand, was a buckskin, only that her stockings were aqua (there was a sock on her left hind leg). Her whole tail was bright green and there were also two bright green stripes running through her mane. Columba's hooves were dark spring green and her eyes were wisteria, like Horizon's.

"Shall we get going, then?" Mystic Dream asked quietly. "We don't want to keep Komarov waiting."

"Yes, let's depart this place and go back to the herd." Horizon lowered her head and nudged her twin foals awake, whispering, "Come along, you two. We've got to get a move on today." Columba stirred and opened her eyes, but Altair mumbled, "Ten more moons."

"Wake up, Altair," Mystic Dream sternly said. "We're going to see your sire."

"Father?" Columba asked as she stood up.

"That's right, my filly," Horizon told her with a smile. "We're going to see your father today. Now come, Altair; you must wake up."

Reluctantly, the bay tobiano colt struggled to his feet and stood alongside his sister. Mystic Dream nudged the two foals and the four began to move.

* * *

Nearly half the morning passed since Horizon, her foals, and Mystic Dream began to make the journey back to the herd. Altair stayed on Horizon's left while Columba remained on her mother's right.

Just as the four were reaching the herd, Horizon heard a loud neigh sound out. She smiled; she knew who it was.

"Mystic Dream, it's Komarov!" she whispered excitedly. Another neigh sounded shortly after the first one. The perlino could tell which one that was.

"And Starlight's here as well," Mystic Dream added. "How ironic; we were returning to the herd and the leaders have come to greet us and your new foals, Horizon."

Nodding her head in agreement, the palomino paint whinnied out, "I'm here, Leader Komarov! Come and see your new foals." In no time, the bay stallion and his Appaloosa mate were standing in front of the small group.

"We were worried about you, Horizon," Komarov told the palomino paint. "What happened?"

Before Horizon could answer, Starlight interrupted, "See, Komarov? I told you Horizon had twins. Look." She gestured to Altair and Columba, who were now standing behind their mother. "When mares have twins, they need a couple days to recover."

"Here, Komarov," Horizon told the bay stallion. "Let me introduce you to the foals." First, she introduced Altair, who looked up at his sire with wide vermillion eyes. Komarov nickered in an assuring way to his newborn son, and the two touched noses.

Then, Horizon introduced Columba, who instantly went up to her sire and touched noses with him as well. Mystic Dream and Starlight looked on peacefully. Once the introductions were done, the grulla Appaloosa stepped forward and asked lightly, "Well, now. Introductions are done. Now, let's get these two to the herd, where they'll learn each and every member." Nodding her head, Horizon urged her twin foals to follow their sire and his mate.

* * *

Nearly two hundred miles away from the edge of the forests surrounding Valle de Luna, there was a herd known as the Spruce Herd, which consisted of four mares, three young horses at the age of two, and the lead stallion, Hawthorn, a proud flaxen chestnut overo of seventeen years with hazel eyes.

Right now, Hawthorn was watching his newest mare Wind as she groomed her newborn foal. Wind was a bay mare with copper eyes and the newest mare in the Spruce Herd, meant for a replacement for a previous mare that'd died two winters ago. The foal, a filly, was Wind's first one. She was a flaxen chestnut like Hawthorn, but solid-colored like her mother. She had copper eyes, a large white star on her forehead, and a stocking on her left hind leg.

"What shall we call her, Hawthorn?" Wind asked the overo stallion, who looked down at his newborn filly. He'd been planning on siring twenty-six foals in his life and name them after a letter in the alphabet. For example, his first foal was called Aspen and his eighth foal was known as Hailstone. The flaxen chestnut filly was the nineteenth foal he'd sired.

"Okay, the last foal was called Rhubarb, which starts with an 'R'," Hawthorn pointed out. "Since this one is my nineteenth one, I was hoping her name could start with the letter 'S'."

"Like in the alphabet?" Wind asked jokingly. When the overo nodded in response, the bay mare thought for a moment. Finally, she thought up of a good name. "How about Sparrow?"

"Sparrow…yes, that'll be a perfect name for her," Hawthorn replied with a smile. Then, he nickered to the other three mares who were standing close by. One was a palomino with a palomino overo filly by her side, the second was a blue roan who had yet to give birth to her foal, and finally, a zebra dun mare with her colt Rhubarb. Hearing their leader's call, the three mares and the two foals went over to him, wanting to see the newest addition to the herd.

"Has Wind thought of a name for the little one?" asked Sky, the blue roan. Sky was the lead mare of the Spruce Herd.

"She has, Sky," Hawthorn replied. "The filly's name is Sparrow." Rhubarb and the overo filly known as Quassia peered out behind their mothers, anxious to see their new sibling. The palomino mare known as Holly glanced sternly at the two, saying, "Not yet, little foals. You'll soon be able to play with your new sister in a couple of days." Sky wandered off so she could keep the two-year-olds away from the new mother and her foal. They were known as Navajo (Sky's previous foal), Oilseed, and Parsley.

"What's so great about a foal being born?" Navajo questioned stubbornly. He was a black overo.

"A foal being born means life," Parsley told him. She was a bay mare and the daughter of the zebra dun, known as Lichen.

"Yeah, Navajo," Oilseed told him. "We got a new little sister." Oilseed was a previous foal of Holly's and he was a plain chestnut, unlike Hawthorn.

"Well, I don't like this," Navajo announced. "More foals means more trouble for us. We've got to watch over them while the adults graze and answer their stupid questions about life, even the most impossible ones, and by the time they're yearlings, we're gonna get kicked out."

"Navajo, _you're_ not getting kicked out," sighed Parsley, rolling her eyes. "When the foals are yearlings, only me and Oilseed are going. You're going to take over the herd when you're, like, five summers."

"But still, I don't like this," Navajo protested. And so, the three two-year-olds looked on as their mothers and the rest of the Spruce Herd greeted the little filly, who was looking up at her new family with copper eyes.

* * *

_Altair and Columba grew up living amongst the Supernova Herd. They played and had adventures with the foals who were born around the same time as they were, they nursed from their mother until they were old enough to be weaned, and they ran alongside their herd in Valle de Luna. _

_Sparrow also grew up with her birth herd. She frolicked with Rhubarb and Quassia. Eventually, when Sky gave birth to her foal, a blue roan overo colt named Thunderstorm, Sparrow soon had more playmates than she could ever hope for. Wind couldn't be any happier for her filly._

_However, while things were all right for the twin Supernova foals, everything changed when Sparrow turned two. When Hawthorn's last two foals, Yarrow and Zenith, were born, Navajo turned against his own father by attacking and then chasing the overo away. Then, the black overo proclaimed himself to be the new leader. The palomino mare Holly and the zebra dun Lichen were chased out shortly after Navajo became leader. Sparrow's mother Wind was still permitted to remain with the herd on account of the fact that she was the mother of Yarrow, and the same went for Sky, who had Zenith. Eventually, when the colts were yearlings, Navajo chased them and their mothers out and invited new mares into the herd. His lead mare was a silver buckskin named Swift. _

_Out of all of Hawthorn's foals that were in the Spruce Herd around the time Sparrow was born, only the flaxen chestnut remained, much to Navajo's annoyance. He'd tried to chase his younger half-sister out, but Sparrow had fought back and was able to keep her right to stay in the herd._

_So, Sparrow remained with her birth herd for almost two summers. Navajo would watch his only remaining sibling with irritation. He knew that he couldn't breed with her; inbreeding led to an unhealthy foal. Also, there could be a chance that she would attract attention from unwanted bachelors. That meant battles for Navajo, and he_ _didn__'t want that anytime soon._ _The black overo wanted her out before she got too old. And soon, he'd finally succeed… _

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**OK, here's a little info about some of the characters' names:**

-Altair was named after the brightest star in the constellation Aquila. Columba was named after a small constellation of the same name. It's known as "the dove".

-Komarov was named after Vladimir Komarov, a cosmonaut who died when his capsule _Soyuz 1_ crashed into a field in the Soviet Union, now known as Russia. He was also the first man to travel into space more than once (his first mission was _Voskhod 1_).

-Oilseed is a type of vegetable oil (I think).

-Quassia is a type of plant found in South America.

**Read and Review, please!!**


	2. Abandoned

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Disclaimer: I own the members of the Spruce Herd.

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It was a bright sunny afternoon. There were no clouds in the sky. The Spruce Herd was grazing close to a small pond. Ten feet away from the herd, Sparrow lay on the ground, her chestnut coat gleaming in the slowly-fading sunlight.

Ever since Navajo chased Wind and Sky and their yearlings out and invited new mares into the Spruce Herd, things weren't going oh-so well for Sparrow. When Sparrow was a filly, there weren't many herd members, but thanks to the black overo stallion, there were now eight mares. Most of the mares in the herd didn't get along with her and either shunned her or treated her like an outcast. The foals (there were five in the herd this year, plus three yearlings) were ordered to stay away from her at all times, though occasionally a few wandered up to their aunt. The only two mares who actually liked Sparrow were Fauna and Daisy. Fauna was a bay roan and Daisy was a buckskin sabino. Right now, the two were forbidden by Swift to go and talk to her.

"I wonder if it's safe to blend into the herd," Sparrow whispered to herself, looking behind her shoulder. The foals were playing with one another and the adults were grazing…except for Navajo. He was watching his half-sister, determined to keep her out of the herd.

Sparrow rolled her eyes. She wanted to stay in her birth herd, but Navajo was telling her many times that she was too old to be in the Spruce Herd. "You're four summers old, Sparrow," Navajo would tell her every day. "It's time you left and found _another_ herd."

"Hey, Sparrow!" someone called. Smiling, the flaxen chestnut mare turned her head to see her friends Fauna and Daisy approach her. Fauna had a white star on her forehead and three stockings on all but her right foreleg. Daisy, on the other hand, had a blaze sloping down her face and a white sock on her left foreleg.

"Hello, Fauna and Daisy," Sparrow greeted them. "How'd you get away from Navajo without him spotting you?"

"Well, we asked Autumn if it was okay," Daisy replied. Autumn was Swift's right-hand mare and was a splendid chestnut roan. She seemed to be easier on Sparrow than Swift was.

"Well, since we're out here, what would you like to do?" Sparrow asked her friends. "Would you like to trot down to the pond and get a drink? Or would you all like to join me in a run?"

Fauna thought about it for a moment before she finally answered with, "Drink first; run next. Then after the run, we'll get another drink."

"Sounds good to me," Daisy agreed.

"Good. Let's go," said Sparrow as she began to trot down to the pond. The bay roan mare and the buckskin sabino walked on either side of the flaxen chestnut, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt by the other mares.

As the trio walked past the other mares, they noticed Sparrow and began to say insults about her.

"Look, there's Navajo's ugly half-sister."

"I can't believe she's still in the herd. _Why_ can't she just leave?"

"Navajo has chased her off several times, but she _still_ comes back."

"She's also fought Navajo for her right to stay. If _I_ were Navajo, I'd push her off a cliff."

"Sparrow, I wish you'd just go away and never come back!"

"You're too old to stay in the Spruce Herd. This may've been your birth herd, but you can't stay here forever. Can't you understand that, you stupid filly?"

Sparrow paid no attention to the other mares' insults. Sure, she knew that many horses her age had to leave their birth herd when they got too old, but she didn't want to go. There were so many memories to cling onto. _"If only the others could see that,"_ Sparrow thought to herself.

Finally, the trio reached the pond. But standing right in front of them was Swift herself. She had a stripe sloping down her face and two white pasterns on both her forelegs. Her eyes were green as asparagus, which Sparrow thought of to be a repulsive color. Nevertheless, Navajo had always thought of Swift to be the most beautiful mare he'd ever had.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Swift demanded, pointing her nose at Sparrow. "She cannot wander amongst us. That's the rule in the Spruce Herd."

"Leader Swift, Daisy and I brought Sparrow with us because we were going to get a drink from the pond," Fauna explained. "After that, all three of us are going on a run. We won't disturb you long, I promise."

Swift studied Sparrow with no compassion in her asparagus green eyes. After a moment, she said, "Fine. Go ahead. But if you're going on a run, you two _must_ be back before the sun goes down."

"What about Sparrow, Leader Swift?" Daisy asked, slightly puzzled. "I know you hate her, but she's still a part of this herd."

Swift snorted and said rudely, "All right, then. The same thing goes for Sparrow as well. But if she's not with you two when you return back to the herd by sundown, she'll be a part of this herd no more. Navajo wishes—"

"I know, Leader Swift," Sparrow snapped. "He wants me to leave this herd soon because it's time for me to leave." Together, she, Daisy, and Fauna moved towards the pond and began to drink from it.

Swift regarded Sparrow for a moment before she whinnied to the herd. The mares stopped grazing and the foals stopped playing. They all looked towards the silver buckskin. Even Navajo, who was speaking to one of his mares, also looked towards his mate. With a movement of her head and two stomps of her hoof, the rest of the Spruce Herd moved away from the pond, away from Sparrow and her friends. Swift got the herd only six feet away from the trio before the mares resumed grazing and the foals resumed playing.

Sparrow felt offended. Swift did this whenever she got too close to the herd. When the silver buckskin did this for the first time, Sparrow didn't truly know what it meant and followed. Swift lashed out at the flaxen chestnut and snapped at her, but she still followed the other mares. Then, Navajo had thundered in and forced his half-sister out, telling her to stay away from his mares.

"Don't mind them, Sparrow," Fauna assured her. "I have confidence that one day, they'll accept you for who you are."

* * *

Meanwhile, Swift was trotting up to Navajo, who'd wandered away from his herd as well as the mare he was speaking to. Her banner (or tail) was flowing behind her and her ears were alert. When the black overo saw her, she said, "Navajo, your half-sister Sparrow is going on a run today, along with those other two, Fauna and Daisy." Stepping closer to her mate, Swift added, in a sickly sweet voice, "Navajo…this could be your chance. You could get rid of your half-sibling once and for all."

Navajo's eyes widened as the thought dawned on him. "Yes," he whispered. "It'll be the perfect plan. Urge the herd to move away from where we stand now and convince them that a pack of wolves is prowling nearby and we had to flee. And we'll also add that Sparrow unknowingly went into their territory, and she'll probably be a feast for the wolves. After that, there'll be nothing but relief."

"Now, how're we going to get Fauna and Daisy away from her?" Swift questioned.

"We don't," Navajo answered. "We'll let them go with Sparrow. I never really liked those two, anyway." He wouldn't keep a mare that he didn't like.

Swift and Navajo looked down towards the small pond and smiled with malicious glee as Sparrow, Daisy, and Fauna began to move away in a fast canter.

"They're leaving," Navajo noted. "Good; our plan's starting to work. Swift, as soon as the three are gone, get the mares and their foals moving as fast as you can. We're leaving those three behind. They'll be on their own from now on."

* * *

Sparrow felt happier than before as she and her friends broke into a fast gallop, getting them far away from the Spruce Herd as possible. The mares watched in irritation as they ran past. They knew that you couldn't run off just like that without a leader's permission and they jeered at them.

"Stupid mares!"

"Come back here! You'll get in trouble."

"Sparrow doesn't know that she should be leaving the herd, and _now_ she's convinced Fauna and Daisy to run away with her! How ridiculous can she get?"

"They'll get in trouble with Leaders Swift and Navajo, mark my words."

"We'll be back, everyone!" Daisy called out as the trio galloped off. But some of the mares didn't believe them.

Two sets of black tails and one gold tail whipped behind the mares as they ran through their wild homeland. A red-tailed hawk flew overhead, its shadow rushing past the backs of the three young mares, but they didn't care. They passed another herd as the members grazed. The flaxen chestnut looked briefly at them before continuing her run. She may've wanted to join another herd, but she knew that the Spruce Herd would always be the only one she'd ever live in, despite the fact that the other mares and Swift treated her badly.

"Where shall we run to, Sparrow?" Fauna called out to her after a few moments of running.

With a smirk, Sparrow replied with, "We'll run to the nearest forest, look around in there, and then we'll head back."

"Good plan, Sparrow, because I see a forest up ahead!" Daisy laughed. The other two cheered as they slowed down to a canter.

The three stood in front of the large forest that lay ahead of them with wonder and awe. After a moment or two, Daisy announced, "Okay, let's go in!"

"No!" Fauna shouted all of a sudden. "You can't go in there."

"Why not?" Sparrow asked curiously.

"This is the forest surrounding the home of the Supernova Herd," Fauna stated matter-of-factly. "Didn't you two know that?"

"Actually, no," Sparrow answered. No one told her of this Supernova Herd. "Who are they?"

Taking a deep breath, Fauna explained, "The Supernova Herd is a large herd of horses. They're mustangs just like us, only they're different colors, a living, breathing herd of rainbows. The lead mare of my birth herd told me and my half-siblings stories of the Supernova Herd when I was younger. They may look like mustangs on the outside, but on the inside, there's something strange and…abnormal."

"What makes them abnormal?" Daisy questioned.

"Asides from their appearance, they're said to have different powers," Fauna continued. "Some say they can fly up into the sky. Others say that they have powers; powers you'd never believe. And some others think that they have the power to heal themselves, to purify their souls and live for many years without catching a disease."

"Well, how'd the Supernova Herd get its name?" asked Sparrow. She was now entranced by this unique herd. If only her mother had told stories about them to her before!

"That's a mystery," Fauna answered. "Many think that our god, Equus, created their ancestors amongst the stars and then sent them down to Earth. For the first hundred years of their existence, our ancestors got along with them. Then, everything changed. We all grew jealous of them because of their beauty. Bachelor stallions wanted as many of the mares as they could get. Fights broke out over them. Deadly battles occurred between their ancestors and ours. Then, one evening, a Supernovan stallion gathered the remaining mares, foals, and stallions and they sealed themselves away from the others by going into the valley that this forest surrounds." On "this forest," Fauna pointed to the trees that loomed nearby.

"How come no one's seen them since that day?" Daisy asked.

"There are ghosts in that forest," Fauna grimly said. "Ghosts of the horses that'd died in battle. They're to guard that forest from anyone who dares try to seek out _any_ member of the Supernova Herd. There's over hundreds of them in there."

Sparrow looked towards the tall trees with curiosity. Stepping closer, she narrowed her copper eyes, hoping to see a ghost. Fauna and Daisy watched her closely. After a few minutes, the flaxen chestnut mares returned to her friends and said, "I saw no ghost in there."

"Well, maybe we should head back," Daisy suggested. "It's almost dark, and Leader Swift will be furious at us."

"Yes, let's go," Sparrow announced, and the three mares galloped away from the forest and back to where their herd was grazing earlier.

* * *

"Oh, no!" Fauna cried as she, Sparrow, and Daisy returned to the small pond. The other two gasped as they looked towards the place where the herd was last seen.

But there was no one there at all. Angered, Sparrow knew that her brother had urged the mares to flee while they were gone.

"That malicious brother of mine!" she whinnied, furious. "I _knew_ he would try something like this! I just _knew_ it!"

"It's clear that he doesn't want any of us anymore," Daisy observed, staring at the now empty field in front of them. With a sigh, she added, "Looks like we're on our own from now on. I never really liked Navajo, myself." Fauna didn't say anything. Instead, she drank some water from the pond. When she was done, she mumbled, "Yeah, I didn't like Navajo, either."

"Well, since we're loners, what do we do?" Sparrow asked her friends.

"Do what any lone horse does after his or her herd has chased him or her out," Fauna replied. "Wander the wilderness until we find a herd that'll accept us. Since the Spruce Herd have abandoned us, there's no doubt that they won't want us back."

With a nod of her head, Sparrow stepped close to the pond and began to drink from it. Daisy joined her as Fauna stood nearby, watching for anything unusual. And as soon as the two mares were finished drinking, they joined the bay roan and began to walk away from the pond and towards a new beginning in their lives.

* * *

**Next chapter: We'll get a look at Altair's life, and see what happens to Sparrow and her friends.**

**I'm planning on doing a story that'll be in the "Balto" category here on . However, it'll have nothing to do with the movie; it'll be completely OC. What do you guys think??**

**Please R&R!!**


	3. Noche del Amante and the Onyx Herd

The next morning, within the Valle de Luna, the entire Supernova Herd was gathered in a meadow. Standing in the center were Komarov and Starlight. Behind them were nine four-year-olds. Five were colts and four were fillies. Among them were Altair and his twin sister Columba.

"Equines of the Supernova Herd!" Komarov announced in a loud voice. "Tomorrow evening marks the beginning of Noche del Amante, a six evening festival where our newly-matured stallions will select their mate for life, which is to be one of the four newly-matured mares standing behind my mate Starlight."

"Noche del Amante happens once a year," Starlight explained calmly, continuing her mate's speech. "All of the adults here have been through this before. The new mares will go into the woods surrounding our valley and the new stallions will seek them out. There will be one mare per stallion. Once a stallion finds the first mare he sees, he will mate with her, and they will become mates for life. Tomorrow night, we will start the festival off with my sub herd. Then, it'll move on to the sub herd of Titan and Xenon, and then to Charon and Elara's sub herd, and so on."

"But there's somewhat of a problem this year," Komarov added, glancing at the stallions. "There are five stallions and four mares from my herd. Normally, I would be looking for an equal amount. But unfortunately, one of the newly-matured mares, Capella, has refused to join this year." He fully turned to the stallions and said to them, "Keep in mind that one of you will not find a mate tomorrow night. Whoever doesn't find a mate for himself will join another sub-herd and find a mate there."

"Leader Komarov," a bay roan mare called out. "Why can't my Mercury go outside the valley and find a mare there? There are _hundreds_ of them beyond our lands."

"We cannot," Komarov replied. "Our existence _must_ be kept a secret, no matter what. Besides, there is no need to spread our bloodlines to the equines that live outside our valley."

"They're low-class and they'll taint our reputation," boasted Komarov's son Mars. He was a zebra dun Appaloosa with his dam's orchid eyes.

"Now Mars, you know that's not true," Starlight sternly told him. "The reason equines that are not of the Supernova Herd don't see us as much as they used to anymore is because they're…well, envious of us. They're jealous because we have powers and they don't as well as unique markings. Hundreds of years ago, many fights broke out over the Supernovan mares because of their beauty, and one day, we knew that we couldn't get along with them anymore and we had to seal ourselves away from the rest of the world."

Altair wasn't paying attention to any of this talk. Instead, he was focusing on the mares. Earlier this year, his eyes were set on having Capella as his mate; he was looking forward to this. But then, just half a moon ago, the fiery chestnut mare told Komarov that she wouldn't join this year, and instead of making her change her mind, Altair's father was all right with it.

"Don't worry, brother," Altair's friend Zircon told him. "There are still three mares to select from."

Indeed there were. But the bay tobiano didn't find any of the mares to be interesting. Apart from Columba, the other three mares were known as Galaxy, Saturn, and Maia. Altair knew that his twin sister was going to have a mate for life; she and Zircon liked each other a whole lot, and it was clear that they would be together. Next there was Galaxy, a chestnut roan Appaloosa who had some Arabian in her. She was too shy for his taste. Saturn and Maia, who were cousins, looked good enough from the outside, but from the inside, they wanted nothing to do with him. Besides, Mars had his eye on Saturn for quite some time now, and Altair didn't want to interfere with that.

Now, for the stallions. Apart from Zircon, Mars, and himself, the other two were known as Betelgeuse and Proteus. Betelgeuse was a stunning palomino roan who was older than Altair by two weeks. He had stripes of pine green running through his mane and tail. Proteus, on the other hand, was a large, black stallion with a long, flowing black tail with a stripe of crimson running through it (Proteus had some Friesian in him from his father's side). Right now, the two were talking excitedly to each other.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Proteus whispered as he eyes Maia. "I know it'll be interesting."

"Me too," Betelgeuse agreed. "I'm confident that _I'll_ get the gorgeous mare of all."

"In your visions," Mars sneered. "It is _I_ who'll get the loveliest mare."

"Yeah, right!" Proteus rebuked. "I think _you'll_ be the only one who won't get a mare tomorrow evening. In fact, I think you'll be alone for the rest of the year!"

"I'm just hoping to get a mare myself," Betelgeuse simply said, ignoring the two. "Hopefully Galaxy, since Mars wants Saturn."

Deciding to ignore Mars himself, Proteus turned to Altair and asked him, "So, Altair, which mare do you want?"

"I…I don't know, Proteus," Altair sighed. "I was looking forward to having Capella as my mate, but she decided to decline this year's Noche del Amante altogether. Now I don't know who to have."

"Too bad for you," Mars mumbled. He didn't truly care about his half-brother. "At least _I_ can get Saturn for myself. She likes me for who I am."

"Come on, Altair," Proteus assured the bay tobiano. "Noche del Amante lasts for six evenings. I'm confident that you'll find a mate before it ends."

"But what if I don't?" Altair asked gloomily. He was still depressed over having Capella drop out.

"Then you'll have to wait for the next one," Mars curtly replied, lifting his head high.

Komarov didn't pay much attention to the young stallions as he spoke to the entire Supernova Herd, but when he was done, he bade them to leave, for he was going to speak to the nine young horses.

When the other mares and stallions had wandered off (Starlight was among them), Komarov nickered to the nine horses, who stopped their conversations and looked at him.

"All nine of you, listen closely," the bay stallion told them. "I know that you're all excited about Noche del Amante tomorrow, and I know that you might know that only one of the five stallions isn't going to get a mate tomorrow night, but I want you all to listen carefully to what I have to say." All eyes were fixed upon Komarov as he spoke.

The bay stallion looked at the nine mares and stallions for a moment before continuing. "You must keep in mind that whoever you choose will be your mate for life. We are dedicated to keeping the Supernovan horses' legacy strong as well as a secret. The equines who live outside Valle de Luna must—"

"Never know of our existence," Mars finished. "We _know_, Father. We've been taught this many times when we were foals."

"But what if someone _does_ come into Valle de Luna, and he or she isn't of the Supernova Herd?" Altair asked curiously. "What'll happen then, Father?"

"Most of the time, the ghost of the equines before us will chase away an outsider," Komarov explained. "But if someone _does_ enter Valle de Luna, Altair, then they must remain here for the rest of their days. If we let them go, then they'll expose us. Do you know what that'll mean?"

"It means that all the bachelor stallions will wander in here and steal the mares and most likely challenge the six lead stallions for leadership," Mars inquired. "Once this happens, total chaos will follow." He then puffed out his chest and proudly added, "Luckily for us, when I become the lead stallion, I'll make sure this'll _never_ happen at all."

"Fortunately, something like an outsider ending up here rarely happens," said Komarov. "But if it does, we'll be ready."

* * *

"Any sign of a herd, yet?" Sparrow asked as she gazed over the landscape from the top of a crest.

"No, not yet," Daisy replied, standing next to her.

"I don't see any horse at all," Fauna added with a sigh. "But I'll continue to seek one out."

Ever since Navajo and his herd deserted them last evening, the three mares have been looking for a herd to join, or at least a bachelor herd, where one of the stallions could take them and they could begin their lives anew.

"This is all Navajo's fault," Sparrow complained under her breath, so her friends wouldn't hear her. "If he hadn't chased my father and my mother and his mother out, none of this wouldn't have happened. I don't wish to call Navajo my brother anymore after what he did." She could easily recall the day when the black overo fought her sire Hawthorn and chased him away before proclaiming himself as the new leader of the Spruce Herd.

"Pardon? Did you say something?" Daisy asked, not looking over her shoulder.

"Of course not. I was…just talking to myself, that's all."

"Oh. Okay."

"Keep looking for a herd, by the way."

"I will."

"Good."

"Hey, guys!" Fauna exclaimed. "I see a herd! I see one!" Gasping in delight, Sparrow and Daisy moved up beside her and simultaneously asked, "Where? Which way?"

"Over there," replied Fauna, pointing her nose to the west. The two mares looked in the direction she was pointing and gasped softly.

Moving towards them was a small herd consisting of four horses. Judging by their scents, Sparrow confirmed that all four were mares. The mare in the front was a zebra dun Appaloosa with a white blaze sloping down her face.

"Let's go meet them!" Daisy cried, whinnying joyously. And before they knew it, Sparrow and Fauna were galloping besides the buckskin sabino as she clattered down the hill.

The five mares halted when they saw three horses, mares to be precise, come down a hill and run straight towards them. The first one was a buckskin sabino, the second one was a flaxen chestnut, and the third one was a bay roan.

Seeing them, the zebra dun Appaloosa neighed at them, commanding the trio to stop. They immediately did.

"Who are you three and what do want?" she demanded.

"I'm Daisy," said the buckskin sabino.

"I'm Fauna," the bay roan mare said.

"And my name's Sparrow," the flaxen chestnut added. "Can we please join your herd? Our herd kicked us out...or should I say, abandoned us."

"What was the name of your former herd?" the zebra dun Appaloosa questioned, furrowing her brows.

"The Spruce Herd," Sparrow replied. "The current lead stallion is my half-brother Navajo and his lead mare and mate is known as Swift. Now, what is the name of this herd, and who are you four?"

"I am Honey, the sole leader of the Onyx Herd," the zebra dun replied. "We've been living for two summers without a lead stallion, and we wish to keep it that way."

"We're fighting mares," said a black mare as she stepped alongside Honey. "We're committed to not letting stallions take us, and to show other mares that they can be as free as bachelor stallions." Then, she shook her mane and added, "And why is Honey being so impolite? She has forgotten to introduce the Onyx Herd mares. Anyway, my name's Charcoal, Honey's second in command." First, she pointed to a blood bay mare with a star and stripe on her forehead and said, "That's Ember over there." She then gestured to a blue roan and a perlino by saying, "Over there's Jasmine, and next to her is her half-sister Icicle. They're half-siblings through the same mother." Next, Charcoal gestured to a gray mare and said, "That one's Snowcap," before pointing to two chestnut tobiano mares and adding, "And those are the twins, Sundance and River."

"The Onyx Herd originally had a lead stallion," said River. The only two things that separated her from her sister Sundance was that she had blue eyes and one white sock on her right hind leg. "But the lead stallion, Storm, was a very cruel stallion. He treated us like dirt and only cared about himself. Honey, who was his mate at that time, got impatient with him and threatened to kill him if he didn't start treating us nicely. But he wouldn't listen, so a few nights later; she lured him away from the herd and pushed him into a raging river. And that was it. We were free of him and all other stallions since then."

"Wow! That sounds amazing," Daisy gasped, eyes wide.

"We'd like to join," Fauna added. "After hearing about your cause, I'd thought that all three of us should join."

"Indeed," Sparrow agreed. "Honey, may we please join?"

Honey nodded. "Of course. Today, the Onyx Herd is going to fight a bachelor herd that has been bothering them for two days too long." She whinnied an order, and the other four turned away.

"Wait!" Sparrow called out. "How do we fight?"

"Use your hooves and your teeth," Sundance answered. She had a blond mane and tail along with stockings on both forelegs. Her eyes were brown, unlike River's. "Rear and buck like you've never reared and bucked before. Now, let's go and fight some bachelors." And with nothing else to say, she and the newest additions to the Onyx Herd took off.

* * *

The herd of eight mares galloped until they reached a small pond, keeping behind a small forest of cattails. Honey could smell the stallions nearby and ordered her comrades to drink. At one point, Sparrow glanced towards Honey and was surprised to see that her ears were pinned back. Lifting her head, the flaxen chestnut mare gasped softly.

On the other side of the pond and marching towards them were four bachelor stallions. The one leading was a grullo with a snip on his nose, the second one was a palomino, the third was a chestnut roan, and the fourth was a silver black sabino. The grullo stallion saw the eight mares and stopped, his eyes filled with interest. So did the other three. They looked at the Onyx Herd mares with interest.

"Wait for my signal," Honey whispered to her comrades as the grullo stallion marched up to her.

"You will come with me," he simply said, not giving her a time to ask what they wanted. "You will come with me and have my foals."

"Never," was her only reply before she reared up and let out a whinny.

"It's the signal!" Charcoal whispered excitedly. "Come, everyone!" With a whinny of her own, the black mare sprang towards the bachelors, followed by Sundance, Sparrow, Daisy, Fauna, Icicle, Jasmine, Snowcap, and River.

The four bachelors snapped their heads towards them, eyes shining with interest. Eight mares for four stallions; this was perfect! They would get two mares each for themselves. With whinnies of their own, they blundered towards them to greet them. Big mistake, for Sundance met the palomino with a nasty bite to his face. River moved around behind the palomino and snapped at his hindquarters.

"Take that!" she cried as she sprang away from the golden stallion's kicking hind legs. "You won't have _any_ of us!" Ember came up from behind the palomino and nipped at his flank.

Around her, Sparrow saw her new comrades as well as Fauna and Daisy fighting the bachelors. To her left, Honey was snapping and lunging at the grullo stallion. To her right, she saw Daisy try to yank at the mane of the chestnut roan. Standing by were Jasmine and Icicle, patiently waiting for their chance to attack. Sundance, Ember, and River were attacking the palomino. But where was the silver black one?

"Hello, sweetheart. You're coming with me." Her heart beating fast, Sparrow turned to see the silver black sabino stallion looking right at her. He had a 

blaze sloping down his face and a sock on his right hind leg. And that look in his eyes…for some reason, it made Sparrow remind herself of Navajo.

"I…I won't," Sparrow retorted, flattening her ears. "You…You can't make me."

"Ah, but I _can_, and I _will_." He began to stalk towards her.

Sparrow was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. That is, until Daisy leaped alongside her and bared her teeth threateningly at the bachelor.

"Stay away from my friend!" she cried. "Or I'll tear you to shreds!" And to Sparrow, she said, "Come on, Sparrow; we can take him on."

"But how?" the flaxen chestnut asked.

"Fight him, of course." And to prove it, she lunged at the silver black sabino and snapped at his chest.

Taking a deep breath, Sparrow saw no other option before joining her friend and attacking the stallion with bites of her own.

* * *

As Daisy and Sparrow unleashed attacks upon the silver black sabino, Honey was still wrestling the grullo stallion for dominance. There were several cuts over her withers and back as well as on the grullo.

"You and your stallions will not have _any_ of us!" Honey cried between bites. "I won't let you!"

"You're just saying that because you haven't had a mate," the grullo sneered. "But in a few moments, you _will_ have one."

"Stay away from me!" The zebra dun mare reared up and lashed at him with her hooves, screaming her rage. For a brief moment, all the bachelors and the mares stopped their feuding to stare at Honey before they resumed their fighting again.

By now, Honey had had enough of the grullo persistently trying to make her come with him. She backed up a few feet from him and charged, slamming into his chest head-on. Startled, the grullo keeled over and ended up on his back. Seeing the bachelor herd's leader fall, Icicle moved away from Jasmine and came up to the grullo. She smiled sadistically at him before reaching down and sinking her teeth into his ear. She was usually the one to deliver a final blow.

With a cry of pain, the grullo shook her off and scrambled to his feet before neighing to his companions.

"That's enough, boys!" he called out. "These mares are too wild. Let's get outta here!" The silver black sabino stallion suddenly pulled away from Sparrow and Daisy, as did the other two stallions. The flaxen chestnut mare looked on, partially confused as she thought to herself, _"Did we win? Is it over?"_

"You may've won this time, mares," the grullo sneered as the silver black sabino, the palomino, and the chestnut roan stallions came alongside him. "But mark my words: one day, a bachelor _will_ have you for himself. You cannot run from your destiny."

"We _aren't_ running from our destiny," Honey retorted. "We're _fighting_ against it. Mares should have the right to be free, like other bachelor stallions. They shouldn't be taken immediately once they're forced to leave their birth herd."

"And that's what the mares of the Onyx Herd are fighting for," Charcoal added, grinning from ear to ear as she stepped alongside the zebra dun mare. Sparrow, Daisy, Fauna, and their new companions stepped alongside Honey and Charcoal as well. Not wanting to protest or ask why, the grullo stallion led the other three bachelors away as the mares whinnied, reared up, and celebrated yet another victory. But for Daisy, Sparrow, and Fauna, it was their first one ever.

"Congratulations, you three," Jasmine said to Sparrow and her friends. "You've just been in your first battle. And there are many more to come." The other mares looked at the three with smiles of their own. Sparrow smiled back. For the first time since her parents were chased away, she truly felt accepted.

* * *

Later, as the sun was beginning its descent below the horizon, the mares of the Onyx Herd were relaxing near the pond. Charcoal, Fauna, Icicle, and River were cleaning the wounds they'd received from the stallions while the others were either grazing or getting a drink from the pond itself.

Sparrow was not one of them. She was weaving amongst her new herd mates, her ears swiveling to and fro as she heard them talk.

"What a day," Icicle grunted. "That was one nasty fight."

"You barely got a scratch on you, sister!" Jasmine exclaimed, slightly irked. "All you did was bite the lead bachelor on the ear and that was it! Nothing else!"

"Not true, Jas," Icicle stated matter-of-factly, puffing her chest out. "I got a chance to bite that snooty-looking palomino on the flank as well as biting the 

chestnut roan on the withers _twice_. You just didn't see that." Jasmine snorted and rolled her eyes at her half-sister.

Sparrow smiled at the two. They reminded her of when she was younger and playing with _her_ own half-siblings. She walked past them and came upon Honey and Sundance as they grazed.

"Today was an exciting day, wasn't it?" Sparrow asked them.

"Mm-hmm," Honey nodded.

"Yep," Sundance added, chomping down on a mouthful of grass.

With a swish of her blond tail, Sparrow walked past the mares, past the pond, and up a knoll, where she stopped and looked at her companions, both new and old, with compassion in her copper eyes. This was to be her new herd, for always and forever more.

_"I will fight stallions with my brethren,"_ she thought to herself as she looked up at the setting sun, a smile on her face. _"I will show everyone that mares can be as free as bachelor stallions. And one day, when I come across Navajo, I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget! Mark my words, half-brother, for one day, I'll have my revenge upon you!" _


	4. New Faces, Memories, and Worries

**Okay, so the "Supernova Herd" story is now back in progress!!!

* * *

**

"Everyone, wake up!" Honey whinnied. Daisy, Sparrow, and Fauna jerked their heads up to see that it was still dark outside. The other Onyx herd mares were up already.

"What's wrong, Honey?" Daisy inquired. "Did something happen? And why did you wake us up at this time of night?"

"No time to explain now, Daisy," the zebra dun Appaloosa replied. "Now hurry up! We must go. I'll explain everything on the way. Quickly, quickly…"

Sparrow, Daisy, and Fauna exchanged unsure glances with one another as they joined the rest of the Onyx Herd and followed Honey away from their sleeping place and towards a grove of pine trees. Icicle and Jasmine were speaking to one another, occasionally glancing over at the three mares. Ember, with her ears swiveling around, kept watch for anything unusual. Impatient Fauna pinned her ears back when she spoke.

"Can someone _please_ explain to me what is going on?" she demanded.

Jasmine shushed Fauna as her half-sister spoke. "Hold on, Fauna," Icicle nickered. "When we reach the trees, Charcoal will explain what is happening."

The three former Spruce Herd mares kept silent until the Onyx Herd reached the pine trees. Once there, Charcoal and Honey stood side by side and looked at their companions.

"Mares of the Onyx Herd," Charcoal announced. "You know that each year, the horses in Valle de Luna have a celebration called Noche del Amante. This is where young stallions choose their mates. And the mares _are not_ allowed to protest! This crude tradition has been going on for many, many springs, and after this spring, Noche del Amante will cease to be performed."

"Why is that, Charcoal?" Sparrow inquired.

"This year, the Onyx Herd will be the ones ending it for good." Charcoal smiled proudly. "This is how it'll work: we will send one of us into Valle de Luna to spy on the herd that lives in there. Once that's—"

"Wait a minute!" Fauna cried out. "Valle de Luna is forbidden to all equines! Besides, it is haunted by the spirits of the equines of the past."

"Who cares?" Jasmine snorted. "Besides, we must fight to prove that mares can live in herds on their own, just like bachelor stallions can."

"Yeah," Icicle agreed. "And putting an end to Noche del Amante is going to be a big step for all of us in making equal rights for mares everywhere, especially those who live in Valle de Luna."

"Well…uh, that's good, but—" Fauna was at a loss for words. Icicle _did_ have a point. But who was going to go into Valle de Luna to spy for them? Fauna wasn't planning on being spooked to death by ghost horses, that's for sure. If not her, then who?

"I'll go." It was Sparrow who spoke. Fauna and Daisy were appalled.

"What? Sparrow, you can't!" Fauna cried.

"Yeah, what about getting revenge on Navajo for abandoning you?" Daisy inquired, her voice sounding quite mischievous. "You still have _that_ to do."

"My animus against Navajo and Swift will come another day," Sparrow retorted. "Our new herd's orders come first from now on for me. But I promise that I'll make my half-brother pay for his absurdities."

"Sparrow, you will be our spy?" Honey inquired. The flaxen chestnut mare nodded. "Very well, then."

"When does she go?" Sundance asked the lead mare.

"Soon. Sparrow, you are to eat something so you won't get hungry."

The flaxen chestnut mare continued staring at the zebra dun Appaloosa. "What about getting something to drink?"

"Get a drink, too, for you will have enough energy to be on patrol. Charcoal, I want you to take her to the nearest source of water you can find. Everyone else must stay by these trees until sunrise. Understand?"

"Yes, Honey."

* * *

Altair gazed at his reflection in the pool of water before him as the other young stallions his age slept underneath an elm tree. In the final hours before Noche del Amante, all the young horses joining in for this celebration are to keep away from their families and each other, according to gender.

_"This isn't fair at all,"_ the bay tobiano thought to himself. _"My sister will have Zircon, Galaxy won't even talk to me if I make her my mate, and Mars will have Saturn. And Capella…I thought she was going to be eager to be with me. We were close friends when we were young…but now it doesn't seem so."_

Only a few hours ago, Altair had snuck away from the group to find Capella, hoping to talk some sense into her and see if he could join in at the last minute. But to his utter shock and disappointment, he caught Capella with Yildun, a bay roan with yellow hooves. They were touching noses and smiling at one another. Capella was fluttering her eyes at him, too.

"Capella doesn't like me at all," Altair sighed. "She's probably better off with Yildun. No wonder she wouldn't participate in Noche del Amante this year." His head lifted. "I have to think of a way to make sure I don't become mateless. But how?"

Altair paced back and forth. "Maia wants nothing to do with me, so maybe forcing her to be my mate isn't a good idea. And since Capella was flirting with Yildun, asking her to join Noche del Amante is no longer an option. She might like him more." He shook his mane.

"Altair! What's going on over there? What are you speaking about?" The bay tobiano stallion nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Mars's voice.

"Oh…uh…nothing, half-brother," Altair fibbed, his vermillion eyes darting to him.

"I know you're up to something, Altair. You'd better _not_ take Saturn as your mate tonight, or I will bring pain and suffering to you. In fact, I'll make sure you'll never live to see your child. Do you understand?"

"Yes, half-brother Mars."

"Good. Now, go to sleep. We must be ready for tonight." Altair kept still until he was sure the zebra dun Appaloosa fell asleep before turning his gaze to the trees.

_"Father says that there's no need to spread our bloodlines to the ones who live outside the valley,"_ he thought to himself. _"But there are so many mares that live out there…wait! I've got it! I'll go out of the valley tonight, find a mare, breed with her, but then I'll take her __home__ with me and say that she'll be here to stay forever. After all, it might've worked with the Friesian ancestor on Proteus's father's side."_ Altair nickered softly. _"It's perfect! I'll still have a mate. Fare thee well, Capella; I need you no more. I hope you'll be good with Yildun."_ He trotted over to where his friends and half-brother were and fell asleep with them.

* * *

In the early light of dawn, Honey allowed Sparrow to go off into the woods, with the promise of the Onyx Herd awaiting her safe return. Daisy and Fauna hugged their friend goodbye before the young flaxen chestnut mare set off.

"Farewell Sparrow, daughter of Hawthorn and Wind!" Honey whinnied after her. "And good luck." What they didn't know was that it would be the last time they would see the flaxen chestnut mare as the way she was now.

Tall pine trees as well as sycamore and elm rose on either side of Sparrow as she began her trek into the valley. For a fleeting moment, she thought she heard Honey call out something to her, but she didn't quite catch it.

When the flaxen chestnut mare was out of sight, Fauna and Daisy looked at Charcoal and Honey, who were standing side by side.

"What do you think will happen to her?" Fauna asked. "Everyone knows that Valle de Luna is home to the Supernova Herd!"

"Hopefully, she'll stick to the trees and watch them for the entire day, then come back at nightfall and report to us," Honey explained. "If something bad happens to her though…"

"No, don't say that!" Daisy snapped, flaring her nostrils. "She _will_ return."

Sparrow jerked her head around when she heard a distant whinny. "H-Hello?" she called out. "Is…is anyone th-there?" Another whinny sounded out. The mare pinned her ears back. "Fauna, Daisy…if this is some kind of joke, then it's not funny." A third whinny sent her galloping forward in fear.

She dashed into a thicket and landed on her knees inside, breathing heavily. All around her were the distant neighs of horses…the ones that guarded Valle de Luna, perhaps?

_"I can't back out now,"_ Sparrow thought to herself. _"The others are counting on me to get into the valley in one piece. But…who is out there?"_

"H-Hello?" she called out again, emerging from the thicket. "Is anyone there? Hello?"

Fog crept towards Sparrow's hiding spot, making her more nervous. She struggled out of the thicket, small cuts across her chest and forelegs thanks to the twigs, and galloped away.

* * *

"Come, we must go to graze," Mars curtly ordered the other young stallions as they stood up. Altair held back. His half-brother glared at him.

"Altair, _come_." The bay tobiano shook his head and replied, "I'll stay behind. You go on ahead." Mars snorted before giving Zircon a rough nip on his hindquarters and forcing him and the others away.

Altair stood all alone in the same place he and his companions slept, watching them go. As soon as they were gone, he turned his attention towards the foliage. _"All I have to do is sneak out there, swipe a lone mare, and come back here before Noche del Amante,"_ he thought to himself. _"If anyone asks, I'll just say she's very shy and quiet. That, or I'll just hide her in the forest, away from the others. And once I make her my mate, they'll __have__ to let her stay." _With a nod of his head, Altair began walking into the forest, where outside the valley would roam thousands of mustangs…and his future mate.

He'd barely gotten into the coolness of the forest when he felt something slam into him. Altair let out a squeal of pain and shock as he tumbled over. For a few moments, he was completely dazed, but when he came to, the bay tobiano looked up at what had crashed into him and gasped.

A young mare his age was right in front of him, chestnut in color with a blond mane and tail. The only markings he saw on her body were a large, white star on her forehead and a stocking on her left hind leg. No colorful stripes ran through her mane, no ring around her legs.

A non-Supernovan mare.

Altair couldn't believe this! He was expecting to go _out_ of Valle de Luna to find a mate for himself…but this mare had come into the valley to _him_! Fate must've been favorable of him today, he decided.

"Hello, who are you?" he asked her. The chestnut gazed at him, unable to find any words. Altair tilted his head at her. "Hello? I asked—"

"Y-Y-You…" the mare stammered.

"You what?"

"Y-Y-You're of the S-Supernova Herd…" The mare's ears pinned themselves back.

"Yes, I am a member of the Supernova Herd," Altair stated matter-of-factly. "I am the firstborn son of Leader Komarov and—"

"Altair, come over here, now!" Both became startled when they heard Mars's shouts. Altair looked in the direction where he heard the call.

_"Mars, what is your problem today?" _the bay tobiano stallion thought to himself. When he looked back towards the chestnut mare, he was shocked to discover that she was gone.

_"What? No, this can't be!"_ Altair thought to himself, panicking. _"She was right here heartbeats ago…how could she've fled that quick? I have to find her! I have to—"_

"Altair, you better come here right now!" Mars whinnied at him. He was no more than five feet away from his half-brother, with Betelgeuse and Zircon standing on either side of him.

"Yeah, come on, Altair," Zircon added. "Mars _wants_ you to come with."

"B-But…w-w-well, I—" The bay tobiano shut himself up when he saw the stern gaze of his half-brother. When he saw him give him that look, Altair knew it meant _now_. With a dejected sigh, he walked towards the others with his head low. The only thing on his mind was the lovely chestnut mare that he might never see again.

Sparrow hid herself in the trees, not believing what she'd just seen. She'd been running from the ghosts when all of a sudden, she collided into a stallion her age. But he wasn't just _any_ stallion.

"He was a Supernovan stallion," she whispered. "A Supernovan stallion." She could remember his wisteria eyes as they gazed into her own…so powerful.

And how timid she had been in front of him! Sparrow mentally kicked herself for that. Had she not been startled by the ghosts, Sparrow would probably have taken him hostage. Then she would've let him go if the Supernova Herd promised to never celebrate another Noche del Amante again. Yes, it would've been perfect had she not been so…stupid and cowardly.

_"__Now__ what do I do?"_ Sparrow thought to herself. _"I don't think I can go back to the others and tell them what I saw; Honey will be so disappointed."_ But what if she could lure him back to the forest and then take him hostage from there?

"It might not be a bad idea," the flaxen chestnut mused. "I'll just bring that stallion to the others, they take him hostage, and then we'll demand to the Supernova leader Konia or Kumar or whatever he was called to end Noche del Amante in exchange for his safe return." She smiled to herself. "This could still work."

* * *

"What do you suppose Sparrow is doing right now?" Daisy asked Fauna, who merely shrugged in reply. The two were still with the rest of the Onyx Herd.

Icicle and Jasmine grazed nearby as Honey and Charcoal kept watch for bachelor herds. Ember and Snowcap, meanwhile, were engaging in quiet conversation as they groomed themselves. The sun was presenting itself to whoever saw it as it began its trek skyward once again, as it had done for past generations.

"Going into the valley, no duh," Sundance stated stolidly as she trotted up to the two, her sister River close to her side. "What did you think she was doing? She's on a mission for the Onyx Herd. She should not being doing anything else but be focused on what was assigned to her."

"Yeah, but I'm worried for her," Fauna said, standing up. "Daisy and I have been friends with Sparrow ever since her half-brother, our ex-herd's leader, brought us into her herd. If you've heard the stories of the Supernova Herd—"

"Not many of them," River piped up. "In our birth herd, Sundance and I barely got a single snippet of information off the Supernova Herd from our elders, who said that they were like gods. The only ones who've told us about them were Charcoal and Honey."

"Well, in case if you haven't heard about them…" The bay roan mare began to tell Sundance and River as much knowledge she gained on of the famed but never seen herd, adding that once you wandered into their territory, you were never seen again.

"Do you think that'll happen to your friend?" River whispered as she got close to Fauna. Sundance rolled her eyes and chided her sister for getting too close to the new mares.

"We hope not," Daisy murmured in reply. "As Fauna mentioned, she, Sparrow, and I were friends from the start."

* * *

_Flashback, Seven Months Ago_

_Fauna and Daisy walked side by side through the snowfall as the black overo Navajo marched behind them, making sure neither of them ran for it. Minutes ago, the two mares were biting down on what grass they could find when he came up from behind them and ordered them to start moving. Daisy looked over her shoulder at Navajo and nervously asked, "Where are you taking us?"_

_"Hush up, goldie," Navajo snorted, giving her a nip on the hindquarters. "I'm taking you two to my herd, where you will be welcomed by my lead mare, Swift, the most gorgeous mare in the land. She will explain what she and I expect of you."_

_"It might not be so bad, Daisy," Fauna assured her. "We've been looking for a herd since we me up at—" She was also silenced by a nip on the hindquarters._

_At last, the two reached a grove of fir trees, where a silver buckskin mare stood waiting._

_"Swift, I've returned with two new mares," Navajo neighed. Swift nodded and paced up to the two._

_"Good day, new mares," Swift promulgated. Within the trees, Fauna could spot five other mares peering through the fir needles at the newcomers. "My name is Swift, and I am the lead mare of the Spruce Herd. Who are you two, and where were you from?"_

_"I am Daisy, from the Butte Herd," the buckskin sabino proclaimed, raising her head._

_"And my name's Fauna, from the Burdock Herd, which was named after my great-grandsire," added the bay roan, her attention on the other horses in the trees. Swift frowned at her before giving Fauna a sharp nip on the withers._

_"Don't look away when you talk to your lead mare; it isn't polite!" the asparagus-eyed mare snapped before changing her tone to a softer one. "Now, since you are both new members in the Spruce Herd, you must know the rules. One: you are fully aware that if you try to run away from the herd, Navajo will make you come back and punish you for it, so don't try anything. Second: we are strict when it comes to obedience, so if I ever speak to you, you are to keep silent and listen, and if Navajo speaks to you, you both are to do the same thing. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Third: in the breeding season, you are to be good mares if our leader chooses you to carry an offspring of his. No biting or kicking or anything, or it will not be a pleasant experience. And one last thing: you must refer to me and Navajo as 'Leader Navajo' and 'Leader Swift,' respectively. We'll correct you if you forget. Do you two understand?"_

_"Yes, Leader Swift," Fauna and Daisy chimed. Navajo nodded at them and ordered Swift to go and introduce them to the other mares while he patrolled the area for lone stallions and cougars._

_"Follow me, please." Swift led them into the grove, where the five mares murmured their welcomes to them. But it was here that Fauna spotted a sixth mare, a flaxen chestnut to be exact, at the other end of the grove, her copper eyes watching them._

_"Leader Swift, who is that?" Fauna inquired. Swift glared at the flaxen chestnut mare before gazing at Fauna._

_"Oh, don't mind that fleabag, Fauna," Swift explained as she shook her mane of some snowflakes. "Her name is Sparrow, and she's Navajo's annoying younger half-sister."_

_"That little pest has been a part of the Spruce Herd since the day she was born," a mare called out._

_"Yes, indeed," added another. "This is hers as well as Leader Navajo's birth herd. Our leader has had a hard time chasing her out. She refuses to leave for some reason." The first mare gazed at Sparrow and snorted._

_"She's an incompetent fool," the mare called Autumn sneered. When she looked at Daisy and Fauna, she smiled in a polite fashion and added, "I hope she won't be so much trouble to you two. If she is, you come get me and I'll report to Leader Navajo, and he'll take care of her. Okay?"_

_"Uh…yes," Fauna said. Autumn smiled at the two newcomers before sending Sparrow a dirty look. The flaxen chestnut mare sighed and looked away. _

_Once Swift introduced Fauna and Daisy to their new companions, she went off to guard the grove (or at least their section, since Sparrow was not allowed near anyone else). The rest of the Spruce Herd mares and the three foals that had been born earlier in the year huddled together for warmth as Fauna and Daisy gazed at the half-sister to their new herd's leader. _

_"Daisy, Fauna; aren't you going to join us?" inquired a silver black mare named Jana._

_"Yes, come here and keep warm with all of us," Autumn said._

_"Uh…no, we'll be fine," Daisy quickly replied._

_"Yeah, we'll be okay," Fauna agreed. "We may be new to this herd, but don't go worrying for us already."_

_"But don't go wandering off, you hear?" one of the mares demanded. "Leader Navajo won't like it."_

_Fauna and Daisy moved away from the group and towards Sparrow, whose eyes widened when they reached her._

_"A-Aren't you two going to join the others?" was the first thing that left the flaxen chestnut's lips. "They…they told you about me, didn't they? How I am a nuisance?"_

_"Of course," Fauna responded._

_"But aren't you cold, too?" Daisy asked. Sparrow nodded. "When my half-brother brought the herd to this grove earlier today, he said I could come in, but not get anywhere near his mares," she explained. "If I did, Autumn would snitch on me to Swift."_

_Fauna snorted. __"We don't care; all we care of is that you are going to freeze to death," she said before she and Daisy stood on either side of Sparrow. After a long moment, Daisy asked the flaxen chestnut about her past. But before Sparrow could begin, Autumn cantered over to them, emitting a whinny._

_"No, you two!" she snapped. "Back away from Sparrow right this instant! Bad mares!"_

_"Autumn, please," Daisy begged. "Let us stay near this one for a little while. Please? We'll join you and the others when Leaders Swift and Navajo return."_

_Autumn looked at the trio, frowning. "Well, they might get in trouble with Leader Navajo, anyway," she thought to herself._

_"All right," she sighed, which pleased the newcomers as well as Sparrow. "You two can stick together…for now. But if Leader Navajo or Leader Swift catches you three together, the whole lot of you will be punished. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes, Autumn," they chimed._

* * *

"…We should look for her," Fauna said to Daisy. "Maybe something bad has happened." The buckskin sabino nodded in agreement.

"No, you two," River said. "Honey only sent Sparrow and no one else."

"That's right," Sundance agreed. "Our leader has not proposed a rescue mission. Besides, it's just begun. So just stay with us for now; your friend will return, safe and sound."

Neither of them knew what to expect in the hours to come.


End file.
